In honor of the first Tuesday Top 7 of 2014, Drew Forrester and Luke Jones of The D&L Window Tinting Morning Reaction selected their top seven local sports figures to watch in 2014.

Some of the names are predictable while others may just be establishing themselves on the local sports scene, but each is worth following closely in 2014 for different reasons.

To listen to Jones’ full explanation for his list, click HERE. Forrester’s breakdown of his seven names can be found HERE.

Luke Jones’ Top 7 Local Sports Figures to Watch in 2014 …

7. Towson running back and NFL Draft prospect Terrance WestSkinny: Not only will the FCS record-breaking back be drafted, but it will be fun to watch his progress and to see how his skills translate to the next level.

6. Maryland wide receiver Stefon DiggsSkinny: Questions will linger about the Terps’ ability to compete in the Big Ten, but a breakout 2014 campaign would likely have the offensive playmaker thinking carefully about the NFL.

5. Orioles pitcher Kevin GausmanSkinny: Assuming the Orioles’ offseason continues at its current pace, the 23-year-old right-hander’s development will be critical in determining whether the club remains in contention.

4. Ravens linebacker Terrell SuggsSkinny: The 2011 Defensive Player of the Year may have already played his final game in Baltimore if he’s not willing to adjust his $12.4 million salary cap number for the 2014 season.

3. Orioles third baseman Manny MachadoSkinny: Coming off knee surgery and entering just his second full season in the majors, the 21-year-old will be counted on to not only be healthy but to take his already-impressive game to the next level.

2. Ravens quarterback Joe FlaccoSkinny: The spotlight on the Super Bowl XLVII Most Valuable Player will be brighter than ever after a disappointing 2013 season and considering his cap number balloons to $14.8 million in 2014.

1. Orioles manager Buck ShowalterSkinny: After two poor offseasons in a row, does the Baltimore skipper reach his breaking point with an organization lacking the commitment to build on its recent success?

After a record-setting season in which he was the runner-up for the FCS player of the year, Towson running back Terrance West will forgo his senior season and enter the 2014 NFL Draft.

According to CBS Sports, the junior received a draft grade of the third round and scouts have suggested he could go even higher after helping the Tigers make it to their first FCS championship game. He rushed for an incredible 2,509 yards and 41 touchdowns in 16 games this season.

“Terrance and his family decided to sign [with] an agent and declare for the draft last night,” Towson coach Rob Ambrose wrote on his official Twitter account Tuesday morning. “We wish him all the best. He did promise me, however, that he would finish his degree.”

In Towson’s 35-7 defeat to North Dakota State on Saturday, the 22-year-old West rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.

West reportedly hired agent Marc Lillibridge to represent him through the draft process.

Following Towson University’s 35-7 loss to North Dakota State, junior RB Terrance West was asked about his potential NFL future.

West (Northwestern) became the first player in FCS history to rush for 0ver 2,500 yards in the loss, pushing his career numbers to nearly 5,000 yards in three seasons since joining Rob Ambrose’s program. West finished the season with a single season record 42 total touchdowns as well.

“I’m not sure yet”, West said after the title game according to the Baltimore Sun. “Ask me that question in a couple more days.”

West had told WNST’s Glenn Clark on “The Reality Check” Friday of his potential NFL future “let me just bring the trophy home and then we’ll worry about that.”

Many analysts believe West will bypass his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks recently said of the Walter Payton Award finalist “my eyes tell me West has the goods to be a solid pro down the road”. West (5’11”, 223 pounds) doesn’t possess particularly great speed (4.59 second 40 yard dash) but could still end up being a mid to late round pick should he choose to declare for the Draft.

According to PressBox, Ambrose says he plans to chat with West about his future in the coming days.

FRISCO, Tex. – Seeking their first national championship, Coach Rob Ambrose and the No. 5 Towson University football team will try to complete their magical playoff run when the Tigers face two-time defending national champion North Dakota State in the NCAA FCS championship game at Toyota Field on Saturday, January 4 at 2:00 p.m. (EST).

The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2 with Anish Shroff and Kelly Stouffer calling the action.

The Tigers, who are 13-2 on the season, will be trying to end the Bison’s 23-game winning streak. The Tigers, who have won 16 of their last 18 games, earned a berth in the championship game with NCAA FCS playoff wins over No. 9 Fordham, No. 2 Eastern Illinois and No. 3 Eastern Washington.

Although this is not technically a road game, the Tigers have been an outstanding road team. Towson has a 9-0 record on the road this season, the best mark in college football. Northern Illinois has the second-best record with a 7-0 road mark.

In fact, Towson has won 12 consecutive road games dating back to last season.

The Tigers’ road to the NCAA FCS championship game has included victories at Eastern Illinois and Eastern Washington, two of the top three teams in the nation. The Tigers have won their last five games in a row. Dating back to last season, the Tigers have won 16 of 18 games.

North Dakota State, now 14-0 on the year, has the top defense in FCS football and presents the toughest opponent that Towson has played since the Tigers visited Louisiana State in September, 2012.

“North Dakota State is perfect,” says Coach Ambrose. “It’s not just their record. Their program is perfect. Looking for holes on their offense or defense or special teams, they don’t have them. The 11 players they put on the field are as good, if not better at their positions, than anybody else in the country.

“There’s a reason that they’re undefeated and have not lost a game in no-one-knows-how-long. They have resources, they have a following, and they are consistent. They are the Ivan Drago of I-AA football. They are perfect.”

Ambrose’s reference to Ivan Drago refers to a boxer in the movie “Rocky IV.” Played by actor Dolph Lundgren,“Drago” was the behemoth from the Soviet Union who compiled a 100-1-0 record as an amateur, boasted a punching power that was three times as devastating as the average boxer’s, and was trained as the top physical specimen in his sport.

The Tigers are led by All-American running back Terrance West (Northeast H.S./Baltimore, Md.), who has set NCAA FCS single season records with 2,410 rushing yards and 41 touchdowns. In the Tigers’ 49-39 quarter-final win over Eastern Illinois, West scored five touchdowns and ran for an NCAA FCS playoff record with 354 rushing yards.

West runs behind an impressive offensive line that is led by senior tackle Eric Pike (DuVal H.S./Lanham, Md.). A four-year starter at left tackle, the 6-5, 298-pound Pike will be starting his 50th career game when the Tigers face North Dakota State. Senior tackle Randall Harris (DuVal H.S./Landover, Md.), senior guard Anthony Davis(Clover Hill H.S./Richmond, Va.) and senior center Doug Shaw (Loyola Blakefield H.S./Woodbine, Md.) lead a rushing offense that averages just under 250 yards per game and has scored 54 rushing touchdowns.

The Tigers’ running game will be tested by a North Dakota State defense that leads the nation by allowing only 11.6 points per game and 90.2 rushing yards per contest. The Bison are ranked second in NCAA FCS, allowing 247.5 yards of total offense per game.

Senior quarterback Peter Athens (Huntingtown H.S./Huntingtown, Md.) has played very well in the post-season. In three NCAA FCS playoff games, he has completed 29 of 37 passes for 560 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. He has an amazing passer rating of 250.11 in the post-season. Athens, who left the Eastern Washington game with an injury, has completed 228 of 353 passes for 3,198 yards and 19 touchdowns this season.

Senior linebacker Telvion Clark (Granby H.S./Norfolk, Va.) leads the Tigers with 139 tackles, a mark that places him fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association. Clark has forced five fumbles and has three fumble recoveries.

During their post-season run, the Tigers have outscored their opponents by a 132-98 margin while North Dakota State has a 138-35 advantage in its three playoff games.

TIGER TALES: This is the second time that Towson and North Dakota State have met in an NCAA post-season game … In 1983, the Tigers dropped a 24-17 decision to the Bison in the quarter-finals of the NCAA Division II playoffs … The Bison went on to win the national championship.

Towson is the sixth different CAA team to reach the NCAA FCS championship game … Delaware has reached the finals four times and has a 1-3 record … Former CAA member Massachusetts reached the championship game three times and won the 1998 title … James Madison (2004), Richmond (2008) and Villanova (2009) won the national championship in their only appearance in the finals.

Both Towson and NDSU opened their seasons with wins over NCAA FBS teams … The Tigers beat Connecticut while the Bison beat Kansas State.

Towson has already shattered the school record for wins in a single season … Until Towson won 13 games this year, no Towson team had ever won more than 10 games.

In his fifth season as the Tigers’ coach, Ambrose has a winning record as the Towson coach … He enters the NCAA FCS championship game with a 32-28 record as the Tigers’ coach … However, he was 3-19 after two seasons … Over the last three years, he is 29-9.

After leading the Baltimore Ravens to their first Super Bowl title in 12 years with a brilliant 11 touchdown, zero interception performance in the playoffs, quarterback Joe Flacco was a near unanimous choice as WNST’s annual “Local Sportsperson of the Year” for 2013.

This probably would have been a more exciting announcement had we made it in April or May. Charm City sports fans are well aware of the up and down 2013 season Flacco had that ended with the team missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2007 season-making the conversation leading up to the award perhaps a bit more interesting than it should have been considering exactly what Flacco accomplished in the first five weeks of calendar 2013.

It actually even lead to a bit of a surprise in WNST voting, as one WNST voter voted for Orioles 1B Chris Davis instead of voting for Joe Flacco. That voter will explain their decision in the coming days, but was the reason why Flacco was only a “near” unanimous choice instead of a completely unanimous choice.

For the rest of the WNST voters, the decision was quite simple. Here is a reminder of the criteria for our yearly honor.

First, the person must be local. They must be an athlete, coach or front office member for a pro, college or high school team in the state of Maryland. Individual sport athletes who represent the state of Maryland also qualify.

Second, the person must stand out from other people over the course of the 12 calendar months. The accomplishments of that individual must be comparable to if not greater than the accomplishments of others in the area.

And finally, that person’s year must stand out from other years during their tenure/career in the area.

In the first few years of WNST determining a “Local Sportsperson of the Year”, D&L Window Tinting Morning Reaction host Drew Forrester said something about a particular vote that has resonated in years that followed in making the decision. Forrester identified who he was voting for and then said “he made more people smile this year than anyone else.”

It was that thought process that made the choice of Flacco fairly easy to most at WNST. For all of the accomplishments of the other finalists-Cantabene guiding a team to the first national championship in ANY sport in school history, Davis crushing a team record 53 home runs, West crushing the record for most records broken in a single season (Editor’s note: that might not be factual. It just certainly feels that way)-none did more for the city of Baltimore than the quarterback did to start the year.

We discussed a number of names for “Local Sportsperson of the Year” in 2013. As a reminder, there are only three qualifications when it comes to the award.

First, the person must be local. They must be an athlete, coach or front office member for a pro, college or high school team in the state of Maryland. Individual sport athletes who represent the state of Maryland also qualify.

Second, the person must stand out from other people over the course of the 12 calendar months. The accomplishments of that individual must be comparable to if not greater than the accomplishments of others in the area.

And finally, that person’s year must stand out from other years during their tenure/career in the area.

Here are our five finalists for 2013 in alphabetical order by last name.

Paul Cantabene (Stevenson Lacrosse Coach)

Cantabene guided the Mustangs to the Division III National Championship, the first national championship of any kind in school history. Cantabene has steadily built the program as a major national power since his arrival in Owings Mills and has himself become a very hot commodity in the world of college lacrosse coaching. Cantabene is not a native Baltimorean but is about as close as can be, having coached at Johns Hopkins, Towson and Maryland after finishing his playing career at Loyola.

Chris Davis (Baltimore Orioles 1B)

Davis finished third in AL MVP voting in 2013 and was named “Most Valuable Oriole” by local media after a remarkable season that saw him break Brady Anderson’s club single season home run record with 53. Davis was far from a one trick pony, adding 42 doubles to hit .286 with a .370 on base percentage and added 138 RBI. Davis also played a high level of defense in his first full season at first base, helping the Orioles to a winning record for a second straight season.

Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens QB)

While Flacco’s (and the Ravens’) 2013 season sputtered following the signing of a long-term contract extension, it cannot be forgotten how Calendar 2013 began. Flacco’s remarkable 11 touchdown, zero interception postseason run ended with the quarterback claiming Super Bowl XLVII honors and bringing Charm City their first championship in over a decade. Despite Flacco’s underwhelming numbers, he was still a finalist for Most Valuable Raven in the 2013 season and came up with a number of spectacular throws during the season.

John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens Head Coach)

The conversation surrounding Flacco must also include Harbaugh, who deftly guided the Ravens to that Super Bowl title. Harbaugh’s run of reaching the playoffs in every season as head coach ended in 2013, but the calendar year began with the coach finishing his finest season since replacing Brian Billick.

Terrance West (Towson RB)

West is the only native Baltimorean to be named a finalist in 2013, leading the Tigers to the NCAA FCS Championship Game January 4. West seemingly smashed every school record in the process, being named All-American, CAA Offensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Walter Payton Award-FCS’ equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. The junior back is Baltimore through and through, having attended Northwestern High School and growing up watching and rooting for the Baltimore Ravens.

(Other candidates who were considered for this year’s honor included Ravens K Justin Tucker, Orioles 3B Manny Machado, UMBC soccer coach Pete Caringi, University of Maryland midfielder/Tewaaraton Trophy winner Katie Schwarzmann, Former St. Frances basketball player Tevon Saddler and more.)

Who do you think should receive the annual WNST honor? We’ll make the announcement Tuesday afternoon.

CENTERVILLE, Mass. – Junior running back Terrance West (Northwestern H.S./Baltimore, Md.) of NCAA FCS finalist Towson University leads a contingent of six Tigers who were named to the 2013 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division I Football Championship Sub-Division (FCS) All-Star team.

West, who leads all of college football with an FCS record 2,410 rushing yards and an FCS record 41 touchdowns, was honored as the ECAC FCS Offensive Player of the Year. A consensus first team All-American, West broke the FCS rushing single season rushing record held by Jamaal Branch of Colgate when the Tigers beat Eastern Washington last week.

West was named as the recipient of the first Division I FCS Athletics Directors Association Running Back of the Year Award and was the Colonial Athletic Association Football Offensive Player of the Year.

The teams are comprised of student-athletes from a possible 88 institutions from 17 different conferences, and the balloting was completed by head coaches within the ECAC Division I FCS membership.

While Towson led all FCS schools with six selections, Fordham had four players honored. Brown and Princeton each had three all-stars.

Another consensus first team All-American selection at tackle, Pike is a two-year co-captain who has set a school record by appearing in 49 career games. A starter in all 49 games of his college career, Pike has been a valuable leader on the Tigers’ offensive line. He has been named as an All-CAA first team selection twice. Harris, a three-year starter at right tackle, has also been named as an All-CAA first team honoree the last two seasons.

Clark, a starter at outside linebacker the last two seasons, has led the Tigers in tackles all season. A two-time selection as the CAA Defensive Player of the Week, Clark has 139 tackles in 15 games and ranks fourth in the CAA with 9.3 tackles per game. He also leads the CAA with five forced fumbles and ranks second in the CAA with three fumble recoveries. Clark was named as the FCS National Defensive Player of the Week after the Tigers’ win at Richmond in October.

A two-year starter at cornerback, Love has made 62 tackles, seventh on the team. He is second on the team by breaking up 10 passes and has made two tackles for lost yardage.

A transfer from the University of Massachusetts, Delaire leads the Tigers with 11.5 sacks, a mark that places him 10th in the nation. He has made 64 tackles and leads the CAA with four fumble recoveries. He also made 17.5 tackles for lost yardage, the top mark in the CAA.

West, Pike, Harris, Clark, Love and Delaire were also named to the All-CAA first team.

The Tigers’ six All-ECAC FCS selections have led Towson to a 13-2 record and a berth in the NCAA FCS championship game on Jan. 4. The Tigers will face defending NCAA FCS champion North Dakota State in the finals.

About the ECAC

The ECAC is the nation’s largest athletic and the only multi-divisional conference in the country with more than 300 Divisions I, II, and III colleges and universities. The ECAC stretches from Maine to North Carolina and westerly to Colorado. Established in 1938, the ECAC, a non-profit service organization, sponsors nearly 100 championships in 37 men’s and women’s sports and assigns more than 4,400 officials in 12 sports.

The ECAC also administers nine affiliate sports organizations and six playing leagues, and through the public relations arm of the conference, more than 2,500 student-athletes in 23 sports are recognized annually.

WACO, TEX. — Junior running back Terrance West (Northwestern H.S./Baltimore, Md.) and senior tackle Eric Pike (DuVal H.S./Lanham, Md.) of Towson University have been named as members of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Football Championship Subdivision Coaches’ All-America Team announced today by the AFCA.

The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and currently selects teams in all five of its divisions. What makes these teams so special is that they are the only ones chosen exclusively by the men who know the players the best – the coaches themselves.

West and Pike have led the Tigers to a 13-2 record and a berth in the NCAA FCS Championship Game on Jan. 4.

The leading rusher in all of college football, West has rushed for 2,410 yards on 391 carries, setting an NCAA FCS single season record. The Colonial Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Year, he also leads college football with 41 touchdowns scored, including 40 rushing TD’s. His 41 touchdowns are also an FCS single season record.

A 6-5, 298-pound tackle, Pike is a two-year co-captain who has started all 49 games of his college career. A two-time All-CAA first team tackle, he set a school record by playing in 49 games.

West and Pike were also named to the Walter Camp All-America first team and The Sports Network All-American first team.

Towson was one of five schools with two players named to the first team. Eastern Illinois, Eastern Washington, North Dakota State and Montana also had two All-American selections.

Team Background: The AFCA has selected an All-America team every year since 1945. What makes these teams so special is that they are the only ones chosen exclusively by the men who know the players the best — the coaches themselves.

The five teams now chosen for each AFCA division evolved from a single 11-player squad in 1945. From 1945 until 1967, only one team was chosen. From 1967 through 1971, two teams, University Division and College Division, were selected. In 1972, the College Division was split into College I and College II. In 1979, the University Division was split into two teams — Division I-A and Division I-AA. In 1996, the College I and College II teams were renamed Division II and Division III, respectively. In 2006, the Division I-A and Division I-AA teams were renamed Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), respectively. In 2006, the AFCA started selecting an NAIA-only team.

From 1965-81, a 22-player (11 offensive, 11 defensive) team was chosen. In 1982, a punter and placekicker were added to the team. In 1997, a return specialist was added, giving us the current 25-player team. The return specialist position was replaced by an all-purpose player in 2006.

Top Teams: Eastern Kentucky has been represented a total of 23 times by 21 players on the AFCA FCS Coaches’ All-America Team since 1979. The Colonels are followed by Appalachian State (23/17), Montana (23/22), Delaware (20/17), Eastern Washington (19/18), Furman (19/18), Northern Iowa (19/16), Georgia Southern (17/13), Lehigh (15/15), Portland State (15/15), Youngstown State (15/14), Grambling State (14/13), Stephen F. Austin (14/13), Eastern Illinois (14/12), New Hampshire (14/12), Jackson State (13/12), Weber State (13/12), Montana State (12/12) and James Madison (11/11) among current FCS schools.

Top Conference: The Colonial Athletic Association (formerly Atlantic 10) (122 appearances/112 players) is tops among all FCS conferences on the AFCA FCS Coaches All-America Team since 1979. Following the CAA is the Southern (111 appearances/97 players), Missouri Valley Football (formerly Gateway) (90/82), Big Sky (87/85), Ohio Valley (65/60), Southland (62/57), Southwestern Athletic (54/52), Patriot (48/47), Ivy League (33/33), Mid-Eastern Athletic (30/28), Northeast (15/13), Pioneer (13/13) and Big South (9/9). These totals reflect FCS selections only from current conference members. Several schools had additional players chosen when they played in divisions other than FCS.

Consecutive Years: Eastern Kentucky leads all schools, having had at least one player named to the AFCA FCS Coaches’ All-America Team in each of the first 15 years a FCS team was chosen (1979-93). Eastern Washington has the longest current streak at six straight years from 2008 to present.

Long Time Coming: Senior linebacker Cqulin Hubert makes the AFCA FCS All-America Team for Southeastern Louisiana, marking the first time the Lions’ have had a representative since 1985, when defensive lineman Willie Shepard made the team.

Repeat After Me: Eastern Illinois’ Erik Lora, South Dakota State’s Zach Zenner, Tennessee-Chattanooga’s Davis Tull and North Dakota State’s Marcus Williams were elected to the AFCA FCS All-American Team for the second consecutive year.

Linebackers Gary Reasons of Northwestern State (La.) (1981-83) and Dexter Coakley of Appalachian State (1994-96) are the only three-time AFCA All-Americans in Football Championship Subdivision.

Yearly Leaders: Alabama State (2012-OL Terren Jones, DB Kejuan Riley and P Bobby Wenzig) joins Grambling State (1979-DL Joe Gordon, LB Aldrich Allen and DB Robert Salters) and Jackson State (1996-QB Grailyn Pratt, LB Otha Evans and DB Sean Woodson) as the only schools to have more than two players named to the AFCA FCS Coaches’ All-America Team in one year.

Two Players, Two Schools: Punter Mark Bounds and placekicker Greg Zuerlein are the only players to earn Coaches’ All-America honors at two different schools. Bounds was named to the AFCA College Division I team in 1990 while playing for West Texas A&M. He transferred to Texas Tech after West Texas dropped football and earned I-A All-America honors as a Red Raider in 1991. Zuerlein was named to the Division II Coaches’ All-America Team in 2009 while playing for Nebraska-Omaha. He transferred to Missouri Western State after Nebraska-Omaha dropped its football program and earned Division II honors in 2011 as a Griffon.

Class Distinction: This year’s AFCA FCS Coaches’ All-America Team is made up of 17 seniors, seven juniors and one freshman.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Junior running back Terrance West (Northwestern H.S./Baltimore, Md.) and junior tackle Eric Pike (DuVal H.S./Lanham, Md.) of Towson University have been named to the Walter Camp 2013 Football Championship Subdivision All-America team. The team was selected by the head coaches and sports information directors of the Football Championship Subdivision schools and certified by the accounting and auditing firm, Marcum LLP.

The Walter Camp All-America team is the oldest All-America team selected. Walter Camp, “The Father of American Football,” first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp – a former Yale University athlete and football coach – is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation – a New Haven based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting All-America teams for the Football Bowl and Championship subdivisions.

West, the leading rusher in college football with 2,295 yards, also leads all of college football with 39 touchdowns scored. In the NCAA FCS semi-finals, West led the Tigers to a win over Eastern Illinois in the FCS quarter-finals by rushing for an FCS Championship record 354 yards while scoring five touchdowns.

A four-year starter at left tackle, Pike is a two-year co-captain who set a school record with 48 career games played. When the Tigers face Eastern Washington, he will start in his 49th consecutive game.

Towson was one of four schools with two players selected to the Walter Camp All-America team. Eastern Illinois, Eastern Washington and North Dakota State each had two first-team honorees.

In all, players from eight different conferences and 21 institutions are represented on the 2013 Walter Camp FCS All-America team. The Big Sky Conference had the most selections with 5, while the Colonial Athletic Association and Missouri Valley Conference each had four honorees.

The Tigers face Eastern Washington in the NCAA FCS semi-finals on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. (EST).